We tell people to see a family doctor if they have mental-health concerns. I recently asked family doctors who refer to my psychiatry practice what they need. They told me they can’t access resources for patients too complex to treat in a family practice or walk-in clinic. Therapists cost big money people don’t have. Psychiatrists aren’t taking patients, have year-long waiting lists, and see most people only once. People are getting sicker and sicker. Too many end up in the emergency room. Most leave no closer to the long-term solutions they need. The entire mental-health system is a living organism, one part affecting the other. We can’t throw money at parts of it without measuring how the whole is functioning. Measure, invest where needed, and measure again. Transparency and accountability top to bottom.
We tell people to see a family doctor if they have mental-health concerns. I recently asked family doctors who refer to my psychiatry practice what they need. They told me they can’t access resources for patients too complex to treat in a family practice or walk-in clinic. Therapists cost big money people don’t have. Psychiatrists aren’t taking patients, have year-long waiting lists, and see most people only once. People are getting sicker and sicker. Too many end up in the emergency room. Most leave no closer to the long-term solutions they need. The entire mental-health system is a living organism, one part affecting the other. We can’t throw money at parts of it without measuring how the whole is functioning. Measure, invest where needed, and measure again. Transparency and accountability top to bottom.